With the driveway loop leveled, our next project is building a deck. The front door and side door each will have a section with a walkway to the driveway, and there will be a large section in front of the kitchen bay. A "bridge" will connect this section to the front-door section.
These two photos show what we have in mind, and what we have built so far. Left-to-right are the front-door deck and walkway, the bridge section, the kitchen bay deck, and the side-door deck (with the purple tote and trash can; the walkway is out of view).
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We finished digging 32 footer holes for the deck and walkway support posts. The holes, 13" or 15" in diameter and 18" deep, were started using a two-person power auger, then finished with shovels, a root-chopper, and a post hole digger. This part of the deck project took about two weeks.
The county building inspector came by and told us that the empty footer holes are up to code.
Today we mixed 24 80# bags of concrete and poured it in 16 post footer holes. Some holes are 15" in diameter, requiring two bags of concrete. The tractor proved its worth again, as we slid the bags of concrete out of the trailer and pickup truck, and into the front loader bucket. Then the tractor transported them to locations near the holes, where we slid them one at a time into a wheelbarrow for mixing by hand. The remaining 18 bags of concrete will be delivered in two days.
We finished hand-mixing the 42 bags of concrete (1.7 tons) and pouring it into the 32 post footer holes. The eight footers shown here will support the curved walkway from the front door to the driveway. Even though it isn't apparent in this picture, the top of the driveway retaining wall in the background is at almost the same height as the deck in the foreground, so the walkway will be nearly level.
We removed the original temporary deck and steps by the side door, in preparation for building this section of the permanent deck. To do this, we sawed through all the members attaching it to the house or to the ground, then used a chain on the tractor to pull it away and over onto its side.
Yesterday, Mike disassembled the detached deck and steps (salvaging the treads for later use as flower bed edging), then used the tractor to load the pieces into the pickup truck for a trip to the landfill.
Louise removed the remaining deck parts still attached to the house.
Today we prepared the concrete support ledge for a beam, and Mike bolted two 2x10s together and drilled ½" holes for the lag bolts to attach it to the existing 2x12 on the ledge.
Yesterday we set three 4x4 support posts and installed a double 2x10 beam spanning them. Next we attached 2x8 joists from the house to the beam. Today we installed blocking between the joists, and cut the joists all the same length from the house wall.
Today we installed the first pair of posts and beams for the side-door walkway.
Later, Mike and Miranda went to the local stone supplier and bought 1,000 pounds of #57 stone, then used the boom pole on the tractor to lift the trailer to dump most of it out – much easier than shoveling it by hand.
We installed the second pair of posts and beams for the side-door walkway.
We installed the third and fourth pairs of posts and beams for the side-door walkway. Soon we'll fasten joists to the tops of the beams.
Over the past several days, we installed the joists on the side-door walkway. This part of the framing is complete. Next we'll start on the large deck in front of the kitchen bay.
We installed the first beam – three 10' 2x10s – for the deck in front of the kitchen bay. This beam rests on two 6x6 posts. The second beam, closer to the driveway, will require only two 2x10s with 4x4 posts because it will span three posts (two of which can be seen in the foreground).
Today we fabricated and set the second beam – two 12' 2x10s – for the deck in front of the kitchen bay. This was harder than expected thanks to recent rain and subsequent cold weather. When the sun comes up, the frozen ground thaws and turns to slippery mud.
We used the tractor and boom pole to support and position the beam while we struggled to plumb and secure the posts. This would have been nearly impossible without the boom pole.
Yesterday we installed the diagonal bracing on the beams for the deck next to the kitchen bump-out, and today we cut and installed the first set of joists. We also spread some fine gravel to provide better footing – working while standing on the slippery mud was nearly impossible.
We installed the five 12' 2x8 joists for the center portion of the kitchen bay deck. Next we must add three more joists where the bay angles, then install a band board across the outer ends of the joists.
We installed the remaining three joists for the deck in front of the kitchen bay, and added the final diagonal bracing on two posts. The framing for this section is now complete. We are debating whether to begin the next phase – the front deck and walkway – or take a break for a few months until the weather warms up. The combination of wet earth and sub-freezing overnight temperatures rising only into the mid 40s during the day makes working uncomfortable and difficult. We'll see. . . .
After a couple of false-starts and do-overs, we managed to install band boards on the main portion and one of the angled sections of the bump-out deck. Only one short band board remains, and then we'll begin work on the deck by the front door.
We installed the final band board on the bump-out deck. This proved to be a lot harder than expected, thanks to a combination of odd angles and warped boards.
We welcomed the new year by dismantling the temporary deck at the front door. This involved cutting off the handrails and steps, then hauling them away with the tractor. Tomorrow we'll finish the job by removing the main section.
We finished removing the temporary front deck. Mike sawed through the joists and 4x4 posts, then used the tractor to move the platform to the driveway, where he sawed it into smaller pieces and loaded them into the pickup truck, and drove to the landfill. Meanwhile, Louise removed the remaining lumber stubs and hardware from the 2x12 ledger board attached to the concrete support cast into the foundation wall. The fourth photo shows the result – ready for us to add the new deck's framing.
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Warm and dry weather over the past several days helped us make excellent progress framing the front deck. We installed flashing under the door, then fabricated a ledger board from two 2x10s, and bolted that to the 2x12 already attached to the house and concrete support ledge.
Next we screwed together two 2x10s to make a beam, and used the tractor's front-end loader to lift and hold it exactly in position over three 4x4 support posts. Tomorrow we plan to install the joists between the ledger board and the beam.
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We installed bracing on the beam for the front deck, then we fabricated and installed the two double-2x10 beams needed for the narrow "bridge" deck that connects the front section with the large section by the kitchen bay.
Yesterday and today we cut and installed braces for the two bridge deck beams. Next step: Add joists to this and the front-door section, after which deck framing will be complete, with only the front walkway to the driveway left to frame.
Then, after an inspction, we can install the decking and railings. (The county building inspector asked us to call for a framing inspection before installing the decking – normally not required – because the structure is too low for him to crawl under.)
We spent yesterday and the day before installing joists for the bridge deck in sub-freezing temperatures and blowing wind, and today we finished this section by adding ront and rear band boards.
Today we spent nearly four hours with the temperature at 38°F, installing joists and blocking for the front deck. Now that this section is complete, we'll begin building the walkway to the driveway.
We installed the first pair of posts and beams for the front walkway, along with their bracing. This work is difficult because the entire operation must be done with the posts standing upright, in order to accurately measure for a level walkway. Two people are needed to clamp the beams in place while simultaneously holding the posts plumb. Then one person steadies the posts and beams while the other drills ½" holes and installs the bolts.
After several days of cold and rain, we got some nice weather, and built two more pairs of posts and beams for the front walkway. Only one more pair to go!
We installed braces on the third pair of posts and beams, then built the fourth pair. Next, we tweaked their positions on the footers so each set is equidistant from the arc's center point, so each pair is "aimed" at the center point, and so the spacing between posts is approximately equal. This is an iterative process that requires un-nailing the stabliizing 2x4s, so the assemblies are prone to falling over.
The walkway framing looks like this. Tomorrow we'll install the joists.
Taking advantage of another day of pleasant weather, we installed the joists on the front walkway. We still need to add two short band boards to the front deck, and then faming will be done.
Deck framing is complete! We added band boards to the front deck on either side of where the walkway joins, and we're ready to call for a framing inspection on Monday. Then on to decking and handrails. This is what we have built.
The building inpector liked our framing work, so we can proceed with the decking and railings.
After a brief hiatus, we began installing 4x4 posts for the handrails. Yesterday we did five, and today another four. Each post needs metal brackets behind it, and sometimes wooden blocking, to provide strength and stability. In addition, we must cut shims on the bandsaw and use them to plumb some posts. Consequently, work goes slowly, but we're making good progress, with nine of 23 posts installed.
We installed two more railing posts on the bridge deck between the front door and the bump-out section. It's slow-going due to odd angles and tight spaces in the framing behind some posts. Here we see eight posts on the front deck, plus three on the bridge to the kitchen bay deck.
We installed only one post today, due to time constraints and a lot of special fitting work.
It rained yesterday but today we installed three more railing posts. Only eight more to go!
Three more posts installed – five left! Here we see two posts where the side-door deck joins the kitchen bay deck, and five more along the front of the kitchen bay deck.
We installed three of the remaining five posts this morning before deciding that three hours is long enough to work when the temperature is 37°F.
And then it snowed.
